Reclining Seat Dual Locking Mechanism One-Way Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reclining seats with integrated seat belt retractors face deformation issues during vehicle collisions due to relative rotation between locking mechanisms, leading to unintended release and increased load on the seat belt, which complicates the design and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
A reclining seat design featuring a seat backrest pivotally supported on a seat cushion with dual locking mechanisms and a disengaging unit comprising plates on interconnected shafts, allowing one-directional rotation to prevent relative rotation between the locking mechanisms, thereby maintaining the locked state during deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional reclining seats are designed with dual locking mechanisms connected by a shaft, then the seat can maintain a locked position, but relative rotation between the locking mechanisms during collision causes unintended release and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by allowing the shaft connecting the two locking mechanisms to rotate relative to the mechanism bodies during collision. This dynamic adaptation enables the locking mechanisms to maintain their locked state even when subjected to external forces that would otherwise cause relative rotation and unintended release, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining locked state stability and preventing structural deformation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the shaft is made rigid to prevent rotation, then relative rotation is avoided, but the structure becomes more complex and requires high-precision machining
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotational freedom from the shaft connection, allowing the shaft to rotate independently relative to the locking mechanism bodies. This extraction eliminates the need for high-precision machining to prevent relative rotation, thereby reducing manufacturing precision requirements and device complexity while maintaining the integrity of the locked state.
3Strength
If the locking mechanisms are made more robust to prevent deformation, then structural strength increases, but the device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the shaft to rotate during collision, which allows the locking mechanisms to maintain their locked state without requiring excessive structural robustness. This dynamic approach prevents unintended release while avoiding the need for overly complex and expensive locking mechanism designs.
Data Source
AI summary
A reclining seat includes a first locking mechanism for locking a first backrest frame at a sloping position, and a second locking mechanism for locking a second backrest frame at the sloping position. The reclining seat further includes a first shaft for releasing the first backrest frame locked by the first locking mechanism, a second shaft for releasing the second backrest frame locked by the second locking mechanism, and a disengaging unit for transmitting only one-directional rotation of the first shaft to the second shaft. The disengaging unit includes a first plate mounted on the first shaft, and a second plate mounted on the second shaft. The second plate is engaged by the first plate when the first shaft rotates in one direction and is disengaged from the first plate when the first shaft rotates in the opposite direction.